Additional information for candidates with a Polish "matura" or with an IB or EB

In 2020/21 admissions the qualification procedure will consist of two stages. First stage is calculating the score on the basis of the results achieved at the end of secondary education. Second stage is an additional entrance exam. Underneath is a specification how each diploma type would be assessed.

In case you have a new Polish matriculation exam – “nowa matura”, you need to have at least 50 points in order to be invited to take part in the qualification interview. The number of points you have depends on an average of your exam scores for Polish language, mathematics, one of the foreign languages (to be chosen from: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian), and one of the elective subjects: a third language (modern language, but different than the previously submitted one), Latin, Biology, History, Civics, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Philosophy, Computer Science.

What matters, in addition to your actual exam score, is the level at which you took the subject. If you completed a subject on advanced level, your score will count for the full 100%. If you took a subject at basic level however, only 60% of your exam score will be counted. For example if your score for English was 75 and you took it at advanced level, then you have 75 points for a foreign language course – the full 100% of your exam score. If you took the English course at basic level however, then the number of points you get would be 75 x 60% = 45.

In order to know your total number of points, the average of your points for the four subjects needs to be calculated. To complicate matters, it is not the simple average – the sum of the four subjects divided by four – but a weighted average, because some subjects are regarded as more important than others. Specifically, Polish language points count for 20% of your final score, Mathematics for 20%, the foreign language for 20% and the elective subject for 40%. (If you obtained your Matura during the years 2005-2009 and did not have the subject of mathematics, then it means that your score for this subject is 0.)

The following example may help to clarify:

Anna scored 72 on her exam of Polish (advanced level), 67 on mathematics (basic level), 79 on foreign language English (advanced level), and 80 on elective subject French (basic level). Her scores for each topic would be:

Polish: 84 x 100% = 72Math: 61 x 60% = 40.2English: 79 x 100% = 79

French: 80 x 60% = 48 Her total number of points is now calculated, taking into account the importance of each topic:

If you have an IB diploma (International Baccalaureate), The number of points you have depend on an average of your diploma grades for the primary language (typically Polish language for Polish high school students, or a different A1 language for foreign high school students), the exam scores of mathematics, one of the following foreign languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, but may not be identical to the A1 language), and one of the following elective subjects: a third (modern) language, Latin, Biology, History, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Philosophy, Business and Management, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, Computer Science, Politics.

In order to make the grades of the IB diploma comparable to other diplomas such as the general Polish high school diploma (matura), the IB-grades are first converted and then calculated. The IB grades are converted from a scale ranging from 2 to 7, to a scale ranging from 30 to 100, in the following way:

What matters, in addition to your actual score, is the level at which you took the subject. If you completed a subject on higher level, your score will count for the full 100%. If you took a subject at standard level however, only 60% of your score will be counted. For example if your IB-grade for English was 5, then this means that after conversion you have 75 points for this subject. If you took it at higher level, then you have the full 75 points (100%) for this subject. However, if you took English at standard level, then the number of points you get would be 75 x 60% = 45.

In order to know your total number of points, the average of your points for the four subjects needs to be calculated. To complicate matters, it is not the simple average – the sum of the four subjects divided by four – but a weighted average, because some subjects are regarded as more important than others. Specifically, points for Polish or the A1 language count for 20% of your final score, mathematics counts for 20%, the foreign language for 20% and the elective subject for 40%.

The following example may help to clarify:

Anna has 75 points for Polish (higher level), 60 for mathematics (standard level), 90 for foreign language French, (higher level), and 75 for elective subject German (standard level). Her scores for each topic would be:

Her total is 15 + 7.2 + 18 + 18 = 58.2 points. Thus, Anna has much more than the required 50 points and would be invited for a qualification interview.

If you have an EB diploma (European Baccalaureate), you need to have at least 50 points in order to be invited to take part in the qualification interview. The number of points you have depend on an average of your diploma grades for the primary language (typically Polish language for Polish high school students, or a different L1 language for foreign high school students), the exam scores of mathematics, one of the following foreign languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, but may not be identical to the L1 language), and one of the following elective subjects (a third language, Biology, History, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Philosophy, Economics, Computer Science).

In order to make the grades of the EB diploma comparable to other diplomas such as the general Polish high school diploma (matura), the EB-grades are first converted and then calculated. The EB grades are converted from a scale ranging from 4 to 10, to a scale ranging from 30 to 100, in the following way:

What matters, in addition to your actual score, is the level at which you took the subject. If you completed a subject on advanced level, your score will count for the full 100%. If you took a subject at basic level however, only 60% of your score will be counted. For example if your EB-grade for English was 7.30, then this means that after conversion you have 75 points for this subject. If you took it at advanced level, then you have the full 75 points (100%) for this subject. However, if you took English at basic level, then the number of points you get would be 75 x 60% = 45.

In order to know your total number of points, the average of your points for the four subjects needs to be calculated. To complicate matters, it is not the simple average – the sum of the four subjects divided by four – but a weighted average, because some subjects are regarded as more important than others. Specifically, points for Polish or the L1 foreign language count for 20% of your final score, mathematics counts for 20%, the foreign language for 20% and the elective subject for 40%.

The following example may help to clarify:

Anna has 75 points for Polish (advanced level), 60 for mathematics (basic level), 90 for foreign language French (advanced level), and 75 for elective subject German (basic level). Her scores for each topic would be: